


Rich In Heart

by PacketofRedApples



Category: Bordertown (Sorjonen)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Post-Season/Series 02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-25 03:11:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17716919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PacketofRedApples/pseuds/PacketofRedApples
Summary: Kari pays visits to Niko during the other's hospitalization. They talk.





	Rich In Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy, they aren’t gonna show us this shit in s3, so I wrote it myself. We need more fics for this show anyway  
> I know there's like no fandom, but regardless, it's fun to write for this show... also helps that I love Niko.

The summer heat wasn’t incredibly prominent, which was as good a sign as any that they had to move on from the hostage situation. It’s been days, Lena still missing and Niko still in the hospital. Somehow, this had to be resolved... The Serious Crime Unit could barely function with most of its officers missing. And crime certainly didn’t stop. Even if there wasn’t currently something happening, it didn’t mean it wasn’t going to soon. There was no quiet, there was no rest. Life here didn’t pan out as planned.

Kari sighed, tapped his foot before getting out of the car. He quickly locked it and rushed up to the building, slowing down then and entering the medical facility at a reasonable pace to not arouse suspicion. He took the elevator and some floors up; he walked out, looking about the unfamiliar territory. Luckily, there was an employee just at the end of the hall.

“Excuse me; I’m looking for Niko Uusitalo. “

The woman looked up at him oddly from the cart she was pushing. He flashed his badge quickly and she shook her head before pointing at the end of the other hallway.

“Take a left there. It’s the furthest door down that corridor.”

With quick thanks, he walked down the path, trying not to alarm any of the slow-moving patients. There was a slight bounce in his step, however, he couldn’t hold it back. Kari wasn’t completely sure why he was so excited to see Uusitalo, but he accounted it to the fact that he will finally make sure for himself if the other man was ok.

The door was open and anyone who approached it could see a miserable detective lying in bed. Eyes wide open staring out the window, shallowness behind them. It was a pitiful sight, but Kari cleared his throat to get the other’s attention before walking in.

“Good morning.” He announces with a somewhat uncomfortable smile on his face.

“Sorjonen?” Kari was sure they were on first name basis; this was off throwing, to say the least. “Why are you here?” A laugh, awkward in itself, emerges the older man.

“Why am I--? I’m here to make sure my colleague is alive and recovering.”

“I am…” Niko says, looking anywhere but not at his senior officer. “The nurses say I am making a good recovery and should be out of here quickly.“ And how long that may be… months? Weeks? Definitely not days. Niko was still pale with heavy bags under his eyes.

Kari smiles, weakly for a split second, but couldn’t help but overanalyze.

“You don’t look that great…” He says out of honesty, then.

“You don’t look so great yourself.” Niko forces out, pointing weakly at Kari’s head. The other laughs, placing his fingers gently against the still existent wound. He removes them in a supposed rush, realizing that he isn’t supposed to make this about himself. What he needed was to make sure the other was fine. Really, fine.

So with that, he took five steps forward, got the chair and sat down. He looked over the other’s face, but all he could see is how the other avoided him.

“Why did you…” He began but didn’t finish. Now Niko fully looked away.

“Honestly, just wanted to make sure you all were safe. I guess I wanted to play hero…”

“Why…?”

Niko simply shrugged weakly. Sorjonen forced out a pathetic nod, before changing his sitting spot from the chair to the hospital bed. There at the side of his colleague, he gave no other choice but to make Niko look at him. Confused, but still looking at him. Blue eyes, darting around in loss. Trying not to lock but failing and eventually doing so.

There was a need to comfort him, Kari decided, as a thank you for trying, but he couldn’t bring it to words so instead, he raised his arm and rested it against the other’s forehead. Hoping the gesture would translate.

“S- stop that. What are you doing?” Niko protested, with a futile attempt to take the other’s hand off of him. Kari did as told, removing it and pouting as a child would. This entire exchange was too youthful in tone. Instead of moving away, he cocked his head slightly to the side and kept watching the other man, trying to find answers he wanted. Niko wanted to ask him to get off his bed, but the words got caught in his throat. He was too exhausted for this. Yet, he finally looked at his senior officer.

“I’m thankful that you tried to help.”

“I didn’t do anything…”

This kept going the wrong way. There had to be easier ways to convince Niko he did well. But now, Kari didn’t know one. Instead, he stood and walked towards the door.

“I’ll come back later, Niko, ok?”

Niko gave no response in words, but he did smile lightly.

A case got in the way, a grisly and troublesome one, it was difficult to solve it without the help of Lena and Niko, but it was manageable… really, not having them around extended the case to the two weeks it took.

Kari returns to the room, flowers in hand. Mainly because he thought it was a nice gesture and considered he should have done it sooner, but really the first visit mainly stemmed in making sure Niko was alive.

He looked better, had more color in his cheeks (the bouquet didn’t help) and his eyes were more vigorous. He was more so sitting in bed than lying down now.

“What’s with that?” He points at the blossoms arranged in oddly bright colors.

“Isn’t customary to bring flowers to somebody when they’re in the hospital?” Niko laughed lamely, uncomfortable.

“I guess.”

Kari nodded, a goofy grin on his face, before placing them down on the nearby table and sitting down. Thankfully, this time, on the chair next to the bed and not on the bed.

“How are you doing?” The inquiry is careful, but he’s still thinking of how to show the other his mistake was honest. Eventually, he will figure this out.

“Better, I think. Still in pain, but not as much.”

“How much longer do they say recovery will take?”

“If I’m lucky, four more weeks. But that’s excluding the counseling and leave from work Taina will probably force me to take.”

Kari nodded, considering the time this will take, it would be forever before he could leave to look for Lena, let alone get the unit to function at a normal pace. And to mention, Taina’s need to stay since her replacement not only didn’t agree but also got shot and was unable to go to work. Lucky her… So much for moving up in this world.

The rest of the conversation is pleasantries, Kari talking about his family and the case, small details, but enough to catch the other up. Eventually, a call comes for the senior detective and he has to leave. A new case, just as bad. Things never do slow down here, do they?

A few cases end up overlapping, some other things occur just as distracting. He visits Niko again, four weeks later. This time, no flowers and he walks in on the younger man sitting on the edge of his bed. Still in hospital clothes, but thankfully decent. There was a new case at hand and he needed to talk it out. He knew the other couldn’t manage to offer real help, but he also knew that bouncing ideas helped more often than not.

“You came back.” Niko looks now genuinely surprised.

“They’re not discharging you, yet?” Kari sounds a bit more hopeful, wishing for an affirmative answer.

“No, not that fortunate. But they did tell me I can start to move.” And that’s a disappointment…

“Would you like to go for a walk then?”

“Very much so, I’m tired of being bedbound.”

With that accomplished, Kari moves to the other’s side, helping him stand up. He sees Niko wince slightly, but he toughs out any pain he could be feeling. With his hand just millimeters away from Niko’s shoulder, they move to the hallway. It was a good idea to walk here, in the building, rather than go outside.

They slowly stroll to one edge of the hall and back. They talk shop while at it.

“So what you’re saying is there’s some sort of ritualistic murderer going about?” Niko asks, in pure disbelief as they turn around and walk back towards the quarters.

“Something like that. Or so I believe. Evidence at least suggests that.” Kari’s confirmation doesn’t help much, but Niko nods in understanding. Stopping, hissing out, and actually leaning onto Kari after a couple more steps. The older man supports his weight and looks down at where his wound is. Clean. No blood whatsoever. Probably just difficulty moving muscles after so long of lying down.

“Niko?” His name is enough to understand where the question wishes to go.

“I’m fine. Just… it still hurts somewhat.”

Kari nods, and they move again, stepping closer to the room. Kari tries to continue talking, but it’s difficult because Niko’s breathing is distracting. They’re short breathes, like it’s hard to do the minimum needed to survive.

Niko’s grasp on the other tightens and he leans a bit forward, heavier now in his breathing. Concern grows in Kari’s chest.

“Should I call a nurse?”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it, just give me a minute.”

They stand like that for a good moment, until Kari notices the slight incline in Niko’s stance, the way his face seems paler now.

Kari disregards what was told to him before, the detective calls for a nurse. He looks about before yelling out for any help at all. And once they’re there—he leaves Niko to them. He watches from afar, being pushed aside as they tend to the younger man who gets brought to the hospital bed and then the image is obscured. Kari leaves; sure he will come back again soon.

And he does, the next day. Niko seems ok, better again, but upset over something or other.

“Came to make sure I’m alive?” Bitter words, really. Kari understands that but doesn’t know how to fix it. Knows he doesn’t like it.

“Something like that.” He ends up saying after a small silence had set in. He doesn’t want to offer another walk in fear of a worse outcome, perhaps Niko needed more time.  But he had to say something to make this better, right? “Hey, Niko?”

The other looks at him, eyes hollow.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For trying to help.”

“Lots of good that did.”

Once again, Kari’s efforts are useless. He never really realized how stubborn the other man was. Sure he tended to be a brown-noser and complete pushover most of the time, but it seems when he’s really convinced of something, it’ll take hard work to undo that.

“Niko…” The other glares now. “I think you’re too stuck on the past. You did your best and that’s what matters. I appreciate it. I understand it’s hard, to move past a mistake… but it wasn’t your fault.” The younger looks away. It didn’t work. Why couldn’t things easily resolve with simple words? For all the crimes he solves, he can’t even figure out the magical phrase to fix this ordeal. How… tragic. “I mean it.”

The exchanging silence is too much. Kari loses his patience.

“Listen, I think you consistently dwelling on what has occurred will get you nowhere. I’m thankful, you did your best—maybe it’s time to accept that and move on.”

The other’s eyes go from neutral, to loss to incredible infuriation. It’s a scary look on the other man.  Dangerous and on edge, not something he thought he’d see in his colleague.

“I think I have full right to sulk if I so desire. Last I checked I was the one shot.” Niko spits and it’s almost hurtful. Kari doesn’t flinch, however.

“I want to help you…” Honesty should be the best policy, right?

“You can’t, so leave.” The younger spits and Kari is close to losing his patience, after gritting his teeth, he attempts to defuse the situation. 

“I’m…sorry.” Niko’s eyes soften, then. “I can’t pretend to understand. I believe you did your best… but... Niko, I’m just glad you’re alive.” They stare at each other, eyes locked for a minute before Kari can’t take the intensity of the other’s shocked eyes looking for answers, so he looks away when he glances back, Niko looks down at his hands sitting atop his lap, doesn’t speak a word. Instead, he shakes for a split second, before he looks back up, eyes reddened slightly. It was hard not to notice.

“It’s fine… just... leave.”

Kari nods and does just that.

Regardless of anything, maybe the most obvious answers keep staring right at him.


End file.
